Disclaimer: I have no clue what I'm doing. If you see anything that's a bit unsafe or have some guidance that's awesome.
A while back I visited a local Climb facility. It was a frick ton of fun, but monthly membership is high. On top of that it's not close enough for me to visit often enough with my work and home being at odds with the climb location. Obvious answer is build my own wall right?
Last year we had a decent deck extension added to our house which is on a slope. The slope is real slopey. I have no clue the grade, but it's enough that I have a 9 1/2 foot high section that I can, or at least think I can build onto safely. Some 2x4 frame with 3/4 plywood and grabs bolted on should do the trick. I'm on the fence about whether I'll pitch it a few degrees or not since I'd like my kiddos to be able to use it as well. I'd love to have an auto-belay but they are super pricey, so current plan is to add some soil to flatten the base and use some crash pads for now. I'm also considering some sort of monkey bar kinda climbing stuff all underneath the deck to mix things up a bit.
The slope:
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
I'm planning to build right in the middle of this:
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
I sketched up a quick plan for the structure. I need to confirm 24" on center will be enough for this but either way materials shouldn't be too crazy.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
I'm not going to be starting the project for a couple weeks, so this gives me a chance to flesh out some design ideas that could be really terrible.
have you priced the "Rocks"? cause last time i looked they were really expensive themselves for good high quality outdoor ones
Like this is I believe a decent quality set https://www.amazon.com/Metolius-Mega-Pack-Holds-60Pack/dp/B0785J2TFQ
but it would likely only do half to 3/4 of one of your sections.
In reply to captainawesome :
My climbing wall
In reply to MrChaos :
Yeah, they can be pretty expensive. I'm budgeting the most amount of funds to "rocks" with initial amount around $150 for the first round. I figure I can see what I want or move them around if needed. There are some good variety packs available that I think I can piece together 100 plus to work with.
I'm a dunce. I meant to post this under the builds part of the forum, any way it could be moved?
You could probably build out some fun traverses too. Seems like you have enough width from this end of the internet. Maybe even add some hold around the corners for extra fun pitches
I added the amazon climbing holds to my deck this spring. They look good and work great but a the hardware is rusting. It’s a common issue with outdoor builds.
In reply to thatsnowinnebago (Forum Supporter) :
I've had similar thoughts on all this, just not sure what to build since my skill level is still low. I've also thought about some ropes course stuff or rings.
In reply to nderwater :
I've seen that mentioned before. I will probably buy a big bulk bag of stainless fasteners.
I built a wall for my kids using the Metolius holds. It's great!
By far the most time consuming aspect was putting all of the holes and nuts in so you could set different routes. 100s of em.
Otherwise my only advice is to get high quality plywood and paint it so you don't get splinters if you slip.
I did a mini climbing wall for my kids
It's nothing like what you're planning. I just used scraps of 2x with glue and screws. But my kids are 2 and 4 so they don't mind their cheapskate dad.
In reply to KyAllroad (Jeremy) (Forum Supporter) :
Was looking at those too. I've read they are kind of a one use item?
In reply to barefootskater :
That's pretty neat, and nothing wrong with being a cheapskate. I have considered making my own holds to keep the costs down. Not sure what method I would use to form them. Maybe flapped disc on angle grinder from 2x4, 2x6, 4x4 chunks? Could still be bolted on. Volumes can be built out of ply with texture grip paint.
I climbed seriously for years, both indoors and outdoors. Building your own wall has been done and well documented. Google "building your own climbing wall" and you should find whatever you want to know.
DWNSHFT said:
I climbed seriously for years, both indoors and outdoors. Building your own wall has been done and well documented. Google "building your own climbing wall" and you should find whatever you want to know.
From your post im gathering that you probably want to build verticaly or a steep grade away from the climber. Id be wary about building a home wall with too much vertical or 'slab' surfaces, because as much as I love climbing them, they tend to require a taller or wider scale to remain interesting, which makes them more of a pain to alter to keep them interesting
Also, if you do decide to build overhanging, I'd be very careful about how i put in supports. Most gym walls are free standing and anchored to steel posts and concrete instead of the building itself. Not saying you have to do that, but if it will see a lot of ise and adults climbing it, anchoring to your existing deck can cause structural issues over time.
I lived in a house in college that previous renters had built a climbing wall in the garage, just and overhang attatched to a wall at the bottom and rafters at the top, with a brace to the top of the wall. Years of use had actually pulled the roof and garage wall in the direction of the overhang. Proper bracing and support should prevent that, but its something to consider
In reply to DWNSHFT :
I'm definitely checking out some documented builds, but posting here for a couple reasons. I like this forum. I like to read different builds from projects I never would have considered or normally hold interest in. There are quite a few over the years that have been extremely educational and fairly useful in tons of ways. Maybe, just maybe this thread can do that as well.
In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :
Thanks!
In reply to TheTallOne17 :
I've been thinking about 2 foot up to have a 20-40 degree overhang and then vertical again with a few small volumes built into it. That should keep it interesting, but also wrap around the pier of the deck to a structure under the deck.
As far as structural integrity, that's actually one of my biggest concerns. The piers I have are 6x6 which seem plenty beefy for what I'm building, but they also have the job of holding all of the deck above it as well. I'm considering a 4x4 post or three independent of the deck structure concreted a couple feet in ground to make it less dependent on the piers.
In reply to captainawesome :
Sounds like a good plan for keeping things interesting. Id have to peek behing the walls at my gym to see what boulder places are doing these days for support structure, but id bet for a home build you could get away with 2×2 steel posts behind the wall and wood or angle iron braces reaching back from the wall to the posts. Been a while since college when I worked inside a wall doing repairs
The higher power required for bouldering creates a lot of shock loads for the structure to handle. You need to not only be able to hang on it but to be able to bounve on it. Having a steel spine or support structure would probably absorb the stresses better over time
In reply to TheTallOne17 :
If you look closely you'll see the wall is built with hardwood as a shock absorbing media. There are various challenges. The real challenge is the gutters at the top. At various points you can use a 3 point grip to allow you to reach for an angel
In reply to captainawesome :
You could start with a bunch of pre-drilled holes so you can reconfigure as your skills improve.
